1XX PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



Malformed Banksia. — Dr. Masters reported upon the speci- 

 men exhibited at the last meeting. which he had received from 

 Baron von Mueller. It appeared to consist of a mass of very small 

 branches and leaves situate below the inflorescence, and covered with 

 fine brown hairs. It was impossible to discover the cause, though 

 some injury by insects in an early stage appeared to be most 

 probable, when the plant was at rest ; so that a supernumerary 

 set of organs were thrown out in aid of transpiration, taking 

 place at an unusual season, and which probably was in excess in 

 consequence of the hypertrophied condition of the plant in the 

 region in question. 



Peach with Scale Insects (?). — A specimen badly infected with 

 some insect closely resembling the mealy bug was received from 

 Somerset. Mr. McLachlan stated that the insect in question 

 was Pulvinaria vitis, which had probably strayed from the vines 

 on to the peach trees. 



Winter Moth, protection against. — Mr. Wilson observed that 

 the plan recommended in the Agricultural Gazette of October 15, 

 1888, of making a ring of cart grease and Stockholm tar round 

 the bases of fruit trees, though very effectual in catching large 

 quantities of wingless females, had not prevented them from 

 attacking the trees altogether, as the leaves on certain trees thus- 

 treated (as described at the Scientific Committee on January 15, 

 1889) were all going at the present date. 



Skimmia Fortunei, Mast. — Dr. Masters exhibited a dried 

 specimen of this hermaphrodite species, received from the 

 I-chang Mountains, which completely corroborated the results 

 of his investigations into the history of the Skimmias of our 

 gardens, viz., that it was first introduced by Mr. Fortune from 

 the nursery gardens of China ; while the true S. japonica is a 

 Japanese plant, and always dioecious ; the " forms" oblata and 

 fragrans being referable to the later plant. Hybrids between the 

 two species are mostly, if not always, bisexual. 



Photographs from Madeira. — Dr. Masters exhibited several 

 photographs of plants from this island taken by Harcourt 

 Powell, Esq., of Bury St. Edmunds, including one of Phytolacca 

 dioica, as a large tree with a massive base of confluent roots, the 

 usual form of this plant in Europe being a herb ! 



